Tuesday, September 01, 2009

After over a quarter century behind bars, New Afrikan anarchist Ojore Lutalo has finally been released from prison.

Active in the armed wing of the Black Liberation movement, Lutalo was first captured in 1977 and then in 1982, and would end up spending the next decades at Trenton State Prison's Management Control Unit, where isolation conditions scientifically developed as a form of "clean torture" are inflicted on prisoners, who spend 23+ hours a day confined to their cells.Despite being targeted by this torture, Lutalo continued to be politically productive, playing a constructive role in guiding a new generation of younger anarchist activists to organize to support the captured revolutionaries from the last wave of struggle. Back in the 1980s, when anarchism was beginning the ascent which would see it eclipse Marxism-Leninism as the most attractive model radical youth, there were a lot of simplistic ideas about national liberation struggles, and a lot of ignorance about political prisoners and POWs. Lutalo was one of a number of veteran revolutionaries who were instrumental in calling attention to the ongoing policies of political imprisonment in the united states.

Prison is designed to disrupt the lives and break the spirits of its victims, and it can be a challenge to recover and adjust to life on the outside. Just as we have a responsibility to support those of our comrades who find themselves in the enemy's dungeons, we also have a responsibility to do what we can to help them upon release.

With this in mind, the Anarchist Black Cross Federation is collecting money to help Ojore get settled and deal with his initial living expenses; we can all help by sending a donation - no matter how small it helps.

Paypal donations can be sent to timABCF@aol.com or else email that same address for information about how to send a check or other donation.

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In 2003 this video interview was produced with Ojore by comrades from the ABCF; you can view it here: